


What If It's Us?

by watrpeach



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bokuaka - Freeform, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:41:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28709091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watrpeach/pseuds/watrpeach
Summary: Bokuto gets himself into something he thinks only Akaashi can get him out of.(Short story)
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 4
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi, thanks for reading!

Bokuto seemed extremely off his normal balance as practice progressed. Akaashi would toss a perfect set- sometimes better than he would in games- yet Bokuto would always miss. Even if Akaashi would set it to exactly where he missed it during the previous set, he would miss agian. The team had already assumed it was another of his, as they call it, "emo moments," and were already looking to Akaashi to fix him, as per usual. He was his best friend and though they hadn't grown up together, they were closer than Akaashi would like to admit. 

Finally, Akaashi called for a break. Practice wouldn't be the same unless Bokuto was back to normal, so they would just be wasting their time. Being vice captain of Fukurodani gave him certain authorities that he never took advantage of because Bokuto, their rightful captain, was usually on top of things. On days like today, Akaashi would have to step in due to Bokuto's negligence. 

As the team drank from their water bottles, though few of them were even breaking a sweat, Akaashi marched across the court to Bokuto, who isolated himself from the rest of them. He heaved a sigh just before he reached his vicinity. During a normal practice day, their breaks were full of critiques and helpful advice for the team, however, that wasn't the case today. Their captain was silent and the entire team watched Akaashi clean up his mess from across the court. 

"Bokuto-san," He called his name, which seemed to pull him from his anxious gaze on the shiny, wooden floor. He met his gaze, but his eyes were all but bright. Bokuto held his bottle in his hand so tightly that it looked as if it would crush if held much longer. Akaashi's hands, which were empty, were held loosely behind his back with laced fingers. Bokuto's posture was horrible; he was hunched over with his head sagging down, making it look like he was posing as a question mark. _Is his hair drooping, too?_ He thought to himself. "Are my sets not reaching you correctly?" He decided on a gentle approach. It's easier to coax him out of his moods with stepping stones in the right direction instead of wading through lava. 

Bokuto twisted his sneaker into the gym floor, making it squeak. "It's not your sets." He admitted. Akaashi nodded slowly. Bokuto still didn't meet his gaze, instead he turned away from him completely. 

"What is it, then?" Bokuto let out a heavy sigh. Akaashi rocked back on his heels. He was clearly avoiding something, but the problem was, Akaashi needed to know what it was in order to get practice- and Bokuto himself- back on track. He was considered the problem-solver of the team, as well as Bokuto's reasoning side.

"Can I tell you after practice?" He asked, craning his neck to look at him. Akaashi kept looking at him, waiting on him to look him in the eye, but he never did. 

"Is it that important?" He questioned. Bokuto faced the wall once again and Akaashi looked up to the ceiling, then back to the back of his drooping head. 

"Yeah." 

"Bokuto," He finally turned to him and met his gaze. "Practice is only halfway over. Can you handle keeping it to yourself for that long?" He knew it would eat him alive. Bokuto crossed his arms over his chest.

"I have to." He sighed and jogged back to the team, leaving Akaashi slightly annoyed and more confused than before. There was nothing he could do here, which didn't happen very often. Akaashi always had an answer, but he couldn't come up with an answer for a problem he didn't know about.

\- 

After practice, Akaashi volunteered himself and Bokuto to clean the gym. Even if the time was forced, it gave them a chance to talk. Akaashi was dying of curoisity as they started taking down the net. He knew Bokuto would tell him, but it was concerning because Bokuto could never keep anything from him before now. He was always the first person to know the big and small things in his life, but now he was left in the dark. Even if it was only for a short time, he hated being out of Bokuto's loop more than he would admit aloud.

"My sister is coming home from college for two weeks," He said. They were fitting the poles into their rightful spots on the rack in the storage closet. Akaashi looked at him once they were done, watching hims closely before replying. 

"That's what's bothering you?" It seemed like such a weird thing to be bothered by. From what Akaashi knew of his family, which wasn't much, Bokuto loved all of his family and never had anything wrong with them. Especially his eldest sister. "I though you liked your sister?" He questioned further.

"I do!" He said immediately. Akaashi jumped from how loud his voice suddenly got. "I love my sister, but..." He started fidgeting again- something way out of the normal for someone as outgoing as Bokuto.

"But?" He was pushing him, needing to know the reason he was so bothered. 

"But..." Bokuto scrunched his nose. "I told her I had a boyfriend." Akaashi's eyes grew wide and his breath stopped short in his throat. He almost choked as he looked away from him quickly. 

"A boyfriend?" Bokuto didn't have a boyfriend. This, he knew for sure. His problem was then displayed right in front of him; he was caught in a lie bigger than Texas.

"Yeah." He was still slumped over. "She was going on about this boyfriend that _she_ had, and I just... accidentially said that my boyfriend was better than hers out of spite," His nose seemed permanently scrunched now. "So, now she's expecting to meet him, but that's the problem," He finally looked at Akaashi, his eyes filled with hope and worry all at once. "I don't have a boyfriend." 

Akaashi knew that. He knew it all too well. Bokuto complained about it way too much for it to be normal. He wasn't lonely- him and Akaashi were together all the time. Bokuto's lonliness, if it was real, must've gone deeper than his friendship with Akaashi. 

"Are you going to tell her you lied?" He already knew the answer.

"And let her hold that over me? She will make me look like an idiot to my family!" He was talking with his hands now. Akaashi watched him carefully. "Absolutely not." He finally answered. He rolled the ball basket into the storage room, his feet stomping the entire way. 

"So what are you planning to do?" 

"You're full of questions today, Akaashi." He said, like he wasn't the reason for his confusion. He wanted to roll his eyes, but that would push away the bit of progress he has made in bringing Bokuto back. His mood switched like a light. "I have a plan." He looked up to the ceiling with a fake thinking pose. "But, it involves deceiving everyone around me and a temporary boyfriend." Akaashi sucked in another sharp breath, this time causing him to choke on his own spit. He was coughing, causing Bokuto to drop everything and run to him. He waved him off, trying to get him off of his back while he was catching his breath. "Don't die!"

"I'm not dying." He stood up straight. They finished the remainder of the cleaning quickly and silently. Deep down, Akaashi felt bad for the poor guy that would have to fake date Bokuto for the lie he couldn't play out on his own. 

"We're done!" Bokuto shouted and jumped nearly two feet in the air. Akaashi was the one to lock up the gym and turn the lights out- Bokuto was already waiting outside. 

Once he was done, he met him at the doors to the gym. They walked together for a short while, until they were forced to part ways to their different households. Bokuto stopped walking altogether, causing Akaashi to turn around to him. He waited, and when he didn't say anything he walked back to him. He felt bad leaving him alone as he had to actively search for a boyfriend that would suit his and his sister's expectations. Despite all odds of this being a horrible idea, he was vowed to be his best friend through it all. It was his job to assist when needed, and right now he was definitely needed. Akaashi was standing next to him when he decided to talk.

"Want me to help you?" Akaashi had his hands in his pockets. Bokuto nodded vigorously. "I think Kuroo-"

"Will you be my fake boyfriend?" They said these both at the same time. Akaashi's head snapped up. His eyes were wide and his eyebrows were furrowed closely together.

"What?" His mouth was hanging open. Bokuto groaned, but not out of frustration. 

"It's obvious that _you_ would be my first choice!" He justified his decision. "My family hasn't met you at all, and you know me best! Think about it, what could go wrong?" _Many things._ Akaashi hesitated. He wasn't quite sure what he would be getting himself into if he were to say yes, but he knew it wouldn't be good. Nothing about this was good. Being Bokuto's fake boyfriend was so anxiety inducing that his face was turning bright red and his eyes moved to the concrete they were standing on. "See, you're already really good at blushing on que." Akaashi rolled his eyes. 

"I'm not blushing." He defended, refusing to raise his voice to such high levels as Bokuto. His ears burned as he opened his mouth to reply. "Okay." Bokuto's eyes grew wide and a grin spread onto his face, causing his entire body to shift. "I'll do it, but there has to be rules." 

"Rules?" He scoffed. "It's dating, Akaashi, not a game." 

"I think this is more of a game than volleyball." He retorted. Bokuto sighed, relieved, as if all his troubles were washed away with Akaashi's compliance. However, his troubles were only just beginning.

"You saved my life, Akaashi." He said, reaching forward and hugging him tightly. It was friendly enough to pass as two normal friends because Akaashi was too stiff for it to be anything other than that. When he pulled away, Bokuto's huge smile returned. His hands remained on his shoulders.

"It's not that serious." He sighed, his voice quiet. He took a deep breath through his nose. It was definitely _that_ serious. Maybe not life or death serious, but close enough to it. 

"Tomorrow, we hang out after school and... do boyfriend things? I don't know." He sighed. He squeezed his shoulders gently. "Wait, are you even gay? I never thought to ask before..." Akaashi shook his head immediately. This was one thing Akaashi never elaborated on, even as close as he was to Bokuto. He hadn't even thought about the repercussions this would bring him from now on. He can kiss having a girlfriend goodbye for the rest of his high school years.

"I'm not." He said. Bokuto frowned. But, no matter the rumors that would be spread, Akaashi was loyal to his only true friend and would do whatever it took as long as he was safe in the long run. "But, you're my best friend." Bokuto hugged him again. This time, Akaashi loosened up and hugged him back.

"If I were you, I would've said no." Bokuto laughed. Akaashi smacked his arm and he pulled away from the hug. "We have to tell everyone we're actually boyfriends for this to work." He nodded in agreement. "We don't have to kiss or anything-"

"I'm _not_ kissing you." He cut him off. As if he would ever kiss a boy, let alone Bokuto. He drew the line there, and would firmly stant on his side of it. Keeping his distance from him would be hard during the next few weeks. Bokuto was known to be clingy, even to Akaashi before now. "We can go over everything tomorrow." 

"Okay," Akaashi started walking away, not able to shake the heat from his body. "Goodnight, babe!" He called. Akaashi glared back at him. He was waving, but stopped once he saw Akaashi. His arm lowered slowly. "Too soon?" 

"Goodnight, Bokuto." He called back, disregarding him.

As he was walking, he couldn't help but think about all the things that could go wrong. There was a mental list that he was going through and it was lengthy. Rules, consequences, and future problems were all that swarmed his mind. It made his heart race as he wrote his formal rules, or contract, for the fake dating with Bokuto. As he wrote with his flowy handwriting, he leaned his head in his free hands. His biggest problem, despite all the others, was having to pretend to be in love with Bokuto for show. Did Bokuto even try to consider his feelings in this? He brushed away his thoughts and looked down at the black ink on the plain notebook paper. He let out a drawn out sigh through his parted lips and laid his head on his desk.

_There was no way they could pull this off._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi meets a few of his family members and they go over their contract.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for they typos haha i am incompetent. i guess you can't edit too many times huh :D  
> i made up Bokuto's family names because i don't think any of that is ever said so hope these fit okay :) his oldest sister is mitsuki and his second oldest is yuzuru :3

The next day at school Akaashi kept revising and reading over the contract during his classes. He just knew he would leave out one little thing that Bokuto would do and would make him uncomfortable in some way. He didn't seem to have as many rules as he originally thought he would, which was making him uneasy. He was writing this contract like he was absolutely repulsed by the idea of Bokuto being anywhere near him, but that wasn't the real case. If he were being completely honest, pretending to love Bokuto wouldn't be half as bad as he thought. There were worse people he could pretend to love, though this was something he would forget as soon as the two weeks were over. Maybe this would help them bond their friendship from high school buddies to lifelong friends.

"Akaashi!" Bokuto shouted. He hadn't heard the bell before and was still sitting at his desk in the now empty classroom. How did Bokuto get to his class so quickly? Their classes weren't anywhere near each other. He closed his notebook and stuffed it in his bag before he could get any closer to him. "Did you not do your homework last night?"

"It would be your fault if I didn't." He always did his homework, but wanted to keep this conversation as lighthearted as possible. He threw his bag over his shoulder as he stood up. Bokuto's arm found its way around his shoulders and Akaashi side glared at him. It didn't falter his grip on him.

"Aw, thinking about me all night?" Bokuto grinned down at him. They were only a few inches apart in height, but Bokuto was still bigger than him. Akaashi rolled his eyes out of instinct. It wasn't entirely a lie, though, he was up later than usual thinking about the situation as a whole. That situation was ultimately surrounded by Bokuto and his lie.

"Something like that." He replied, causing a laugh louder than necessary to erupt from him. Akaashi didn't react to his loud outburst. "There's nobody around so you don't have to do this now." He said, referring to his arm.

"Well, if I didn't you would never get used to it." He removed his arm and laced his fingers with Akaashi's slim ones. "Would you rather hold my hand or me put my arm around you?" He asked before they were even out of the classroom. Akaashi pulled his hand from his grasp, which was a bigger challenge than he liked. He liked that Bokuto asked him what he was comfortable with. It made this less insufferable. Bokuto threw his arm back around his shoulders. "This fine?" His voice was sincere. Akaashi nodded.

"This is fine." 

As they walked, the people in the halls didn't even give them a second glance. He almost expected a big reaction from classmates. He expected a big backlash from all of this, but it wasn't here. This wasn't completely out of the normal for them, though. They were always together, and even though Bokuto was a year older than him, every once in a while he would find his way to his classroom just to say hi. He wasn't lying when he said Bokuto was clingy.

"I have to go to class." Akaashi fished his book out of his locker and closed it quickly. Bokuto was right back next to him after he was done.

"Can we talk for just a second?" He was like a child who always needed his mothers attention. Akaashi stopped short and looked at him. "I already told a lot of people that we're dating, so we have to actually put on the act." His voice was quiet, which he didn't even know Bokuto was capable of. Akaashi took a deep breath, then let it out. He closed his eyes for a moment, then allowed a small smile to cover his face. When he opened his eyes, Bokuto was beaming. 

"Okay." He was prepared for the worst at this point. "Walk me to class, then?" Bokuto threw his arm over his shoulders again and they started walking. 

"Why do you wear the vest instead of the jacket?" Bokuto asked, playing with the soft fabric of the baby blue vest. Akaashi shrugged, his arm moved up and down, then landed back on his shoulders. 

"I get hot." He answered, stopping again in front of his classroom door. "This is my class." He moved from under his arm and faced him. Bokuto stuck his head in to look at the class, many of them not paying any attention. Across the room, Kaori waved to him. Bokuto gasped. 

"You have a class with Kaori?!" He turned back to Akaashi, then back to Kaori. "Kaori!" He shouted, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. "Hi!" He shouted again. Akaashi tugged on his arm and pulled him out of the classroom. His face was bright red as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was used to Bokuto's loud behavior outside of school, but here he found it kind of embarrassing.

"Don't be so loud." He scolded. Bokuto was still smiling. Not only smiling, but bouncing right along with it. "Go to class or you'll be late." 

"Okay, fine." He pouted, but he was still giddy. "I want to be in this class with you." 

"You can't. Go, now." He turned him around at his shoulders, then gave his back a push in the opposite direction. 

"See you after school!" He spun around, then started jogging down the hall. Akaashi watched him wave and say "hi" cheerfully to people he probably didn't even know in the hall. He wanted to roll his eyes, but he just kept watching him until he turned a corner and was out of sight. He shook his head, then turned into his class and sat down next to Kaori.

"What was that about?" Kaori asked once he was seated next to her. He pressed his lips together and cleared his throat silently. The first person he's actually telling is Kaori, and he couldn't even gather the guts to do that. Maybe he was the reason this wasn't going to work. His silence prompted her to ask, "Everything okay?" His head snapped her direction with a smile on his face. 

"Everything's fine." He said. Kaori raised an eyebrow at him. "Bokuto and I are dating now, so... He kind of follows me around like a lost puppy." Kaori's face fell at his words. It was sudden, but she quickly recovered herself and plastered a smile on her face. 

"Oh, really?" She turned to face the front of the classroom. "That's kind of... Unexpected." She was nodding. "I'm happy for you." She turned back to him with a bright smile; he almost thought it was genuine.

"Kaori, I'm-" Before he could finish his sentence, the bell rang and he swallowed the words. He couldn't tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her that he wasn't gay, that it was all because Bokuto wanted him to help him lie, but he couldn't. Bokuto counted on him now for him to keep this up for two weeks. No matter how bad he wanted to tell her everything, he wasn't close enough to her for it to matter. He wouldn't betray Bokuto, even if it meant making himself look better. He laid his head down on his desk. His face was burning so badly that he never lifted his head to pay attention to the lesson.

-

Akaashi didn't part ways at their usual spot on their walk home. He stayed with Bokuto, but they weren't touching. As long as they had been friends, this was the first time he was going to his house. He was nervous, so bad that he wasn't even talking to him on their walk. Bokuto must've been as well because he was unusually quiet. He was kicking a rock ahead, and then kicking it again once he got to it.

"They're loud." He finally spoke up. "And invasive. They'll probably ask you a bunch of questions." Akaashi looked over at him. "Mitsuki comes tomorrow with her boyfriend, so everyone's probably-"

"Hey," His voice was sincere and it startled him. He stopped talking and looked over at him, his eyes wide. "It's okay. I'm sure they're fine." Bokuto smiled and let out a quiet, breathy laugh. This was his first time seeing him worry this much about something out of his control. His family couldn't be that bad. They sound just like Bokuto.

He was right. Everyone in the house was loud. Even if it was just the four of them without Mitsuki, the house was full of loud laughter and even louder talking voices. As soon as their presence was known, his father was right with them at the door. He smacked Bokuto's back so hard that he fell forward, and Bokuto hit his stomach. They were laughing together, and eventually hugged. His father then looked at Akaashi, who was out of place. He felt like he didn't belong already.

"Is this the one?" He asked, his eyes looking over his body. "Your vice captain, huh?" His voice wasn't angry, it was more proud than anything. 

"Yeah, he's the one." Bokuto's smile never fell. His father looked like he was bouncing. He was just like Bokuto: they were both constantly moving. Akaashi could hardly keep up with their vibrations.

"Nice to meet you!" He stuck his hand out, which was bigger than his face. He grabbed it gently with his slender hand, and when he shook it he thought he would fall over. He didn't just shake his hand, he shook his entire body. "Akaashi, right?" 

"Yes, sir." He replied. He grabbed his shoulder and shook him again.

"You need some meat on your bones." He grinned at him. "Dinner will be ready soon, 'kay? Be sure to eat a lot!" He then jogged through the house.

"Are-"

"Oh!" His mother shouted, greeting them next. Akaashi was trying to smile, but he was still shaken. "Kotaro!" She shouted again. Everything in this house was shouted, not said. He learned that quickly. "Is this your boyfriend?" She was beaming and looked just like Bokuto. It was almost as if sparkles were emitting off of her. Her black hair was tied back into a bun and an apron was clad around the front of her body. She was smaller than the rest, but her weight was in her thighs and hips.

"It is, this is-"

"Akaashi!" She shouted, then threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Don't you two play volleyball together?" 

"Yeah!" He shouted back, finally coming out of the shell that wat attempting to protect Akaashi from the noise. "He's actually my vice captain." 

"How cute!" She squeezed him tighter, which he didn't think was possible.

"Nice to meet you." Akaashi choked out. She loosened her grip, then stepped away, giving him a look up and down.

"Dinner will be done in a little while," She started walking away, back to the delicious-smelling kitchen. He knew she was thinking the same as his father, that he needed to eat a lot at dinner, but she would never say it to his face. "Akaashi, make yourself at home!"

"Thank you." He said. He turned to Bokuto, who nodded his head in the direction of the stairs. He followed him closely, waiting for another one of the Bokuto's to pop out and kill him dead with kindness.

"Kotaro!" A girl shouted, then a door slammed open. "Where's my adapter?" She stood with her hands on her hips. She had glasses and the same hair as Bokuto, just longer.

"I don't have it!" He shouted back, even though they were only a few feet apart. She stopped when she saw Akaashi peeking out from behind him. 

"Is that him?" She pointed at him. Bokuto moved so he was seen by his second oldest sister. Bokuto only nodded in response with a fond smile on his face. "You're so cute." She said to him. Bokuto nodded at her "Is he good to you?" 

"He's fine." He replied, looking over at him for a second, then back at his sister. He smiled at her, but it wasn't much bigger than his resting face.

"Good." She smacked her brother's arm. "If he's ever mean to you, I'll destroy him for you." Akaashi held his hands up in defense. 

"That won't be necessary." He smiled sheepishly. He never knew when to take her seriously. 

"Yuzuru, go bug dad instead." He pulled him into his room. She stuck her tongue out at him and he closed the door before any other words could be shared. He let out a heavy sigh and leaned against the door. "Well, this is it."

He stood in the center of his room and Bokuto walked to his bed and sat down. Akaashi looked around the messy room. It looked just how he imagined it. Dirty clothes were on the floor and the shelves were dusty and covered with books he'd probably never touched before. His bed was half unmade and his desk was all but neat. "They aren't that bad." 

"You don't think so?"

"Of course not." He sat his bag on the desk and opened it. He pulled out the notebook that held the contract he spent so much time perfecting for his own benefit. It wasn't at all lengthy and was straight to the point. "I have a contract."

"So organized..." He mumbled. Akaashi opened it to the correct page, then moved to stand in front of him.

"Pay attention. This is the only way I'll do this." He cleared his throat. Bokuto watched him as he started talking. "This contract is to ensure that both parties are-"

"Parties? I love parties-"

"Bokuto." He scolded. He closed his mouth abruptly and Akaashi kept speaking. "This contract is to ensure that both _people_ are comfortable during the time they are in a fake relationship. 

Rule One: No kissing. This is a given.

Rule Two: Only act like a couple around people. Behind closed doors, we are as we usually are. Friends.

Rule Three: No sleeping in the same bed. If we have to, we put a pillow between us.

Rule Four: Pet names are to be used at a minimal, and only 'babe' and 'sweetie' are to be used, because those are the most basic." 

Akaashi then held it in front of him, and searched Bokuto's face for an emotion that he wasn't giving. 

"Nobody is going to believe we're dating." He sighed and put his chin in the palms of his hands. Akaashi stuck the notebook out to him and handed him his pen. 

"We're not _really_ dating." He replied. He knew they had to make it seem like they were, and he would when people are watching. "Is there anything you want to add?" Bokuto shook his head. If anything, Bokuto would take things off the list, or better yet, not have one at all. He wasn't scared to hold Akaashi's hand in front of people or even kiss him. It could be his subconscious wanting to sometimes, but he wouldn't because Akaashi wouldn't know what to do. He was a wild card. 

"I think we should at least kiss. They aren't going to believe us if we don't." He took the pen from him, then scribbled his name in the empty space at the bottom, right next to Akaashi's neat signature. "Mitsuki knows my love language is physical, so if I don't kiss you then she'll know something's up." 

"I'll think about it." He sat next to him on the bed. He wasn't repulsed by the idea of kissing him, but he didn't want to nonetheless. He would avoid it for as long as he could. Bokuto, however, seemed adamant on kissing him. 

"Really?" His eyes grew wide.

"No." Akaashi watched his face fall, then let out a small laugh. It was funny, teasing him. The mood changed after this.

"Do you think we can pull this off?" Bokuto looked up at him. Akaashi shrugged. 

"All we have to do it fool your sister, really. I have a big role to fill, trying to be a better boyfriend than she has." He admitted. Bokuto scoffed.

"You'll already be way better than the guy she's bringing home." 

"You have so much faith in me." 

"I do!" He elbowed his arm and Akaashi sighed. Not a heavy sigh, but one that was sort of fond. Moments like these ease his mind of keeping this act together. They were already so effortless because they're so close.

"If it doesn't work out, then it'll be a weight lifted off of both of us." Bokuto didn't seem to think that way. He seemed disappointed about what he was saying, but Akaashi wasn't going to comment on it.

"Maybe for you. I'll have to deal with a lifetime of embarrassment." He flopped back on his bed and a heavy sigh came from his chest. "Thank you for doing this, anyways." He looked over at him again. "I know you didn't have to, but I really owe you one. Anything you need, I'll do it. Deal?" He stuck his hand up and out. Akaashi felt like this was the official commencement of their fake relationship. He stuck his hand out and shook it gently. Shaking Bokuto's hand was much different than shaking his fathers. It was more gentle, but still held the same strength.

"Deal." He paused. "I'll be the best fake boyfriend I can be." 

He could finally call him his official fake boyfriend. Akaashi, despite not wanting to do this in the first place, felt like they had it under control. His family was strong and loud, the complete opposite of his own. But, they were welcoming. They made him feel warm, even though they had just met him, he could feel that they cared about him and everyone else that walked into their home. Like Bokuto, they were kind beyond all else. 

It would be hard to lie to them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi finally meets Mitsuki and his competition.
> 
> Things are starting to heat up, and even though Akaashi didn't want to participate in a fake relationship in the first place, he was determined to win the praise of being the perfect boyfriend. He was in too deep now, and the urge to win was stronger than ever before. The competition was much more intense than he planned for, but what else would he expect from Bokuto's family?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i always write so late at night so forgive typos pls,, :)

The walk back to Bokuto's house the next day was filled with Bokuto's voice booming around him. He was talking about something that Akaashi wasn't paying attention to because he was thinking of his sister and her boyfriend. Or, in other words, his competition. The whole point of the pretend boyfriend was that he was better than his sister's. Though he had little confidence in himself, he was counting on Bokuto to help him through it. 

"She's already here?" Bokuto stopped in the driveway and looked at the bright red car in the driveway. It stood out like a sore thumb with the other silver cars, belonging to his parents and his other sister. "Here, hold my-" Before he could finish, Akaashi was already latched onto his hand. Bokuto smiled down at him for a moment, then continued into the house. Akaashi was surely determined to not make a fool of himself or Bokuto. Even if he wasn't thrilled by the idea of dating Bokuto, he could still pretend. He would call this practice for his future girlfriends; he would be the perfect gentleman.

"Kotaro!" An unfamiliar voice shouted as soon as the door clicked open. They took off their shoes, then walked to the living room where all the noise was coming from. There sat his entire family, plus the two he had been so anxious to meet. Mitsuki was leaning into an older blonde boy who was covered in tattoos and piercings. His arm was draped loosely around her waist and a smug smile was on his face. Akaashi didn't know whether to be intimidated or in awe. He could never have the courage to dress like that, and even if he did, he wouldn't look as good as this guy.

He stared at his competition as Bokuto talked amongst his family. He was analyzing every bit that he could right now to get a feel for what he was up against. He was slouchy and loud, though his voice was low. He didn't put a lot of energy into talking, but his facial expression said it all. He had the 'I don't care' attitude that Akaashi lacked. He was carefree and threw his hands around as he spoke. It was only when Bokuto nudged him that he looked away, realizing that he didn't greet everyone. He quickly said hello, then Bokuto motioned to his oldest sister.

"Akaashi, my sister Mitsuki," Akaashi reached out for her hand, which she took with a grin. He shook off the stares from the rest of them. He couldn't ruin things right off the bat. "Mitsuki, Akaashi." 

"It's nice to finally meet you." He needed to be more talkative in order to catch her heart. Bokuto was surprised as he watched Akaashi take the lead in talking. "I've heard a lot about you." It was all he could do to breathe properly. His first impression was crucial.

"Oh, good things I hope?" She giggled. Bokuto rolled his eyes at her.

"There's nothing good to tell." 

"Oi, brat." She sent him a glare from hell. She looked back to Akaashi. "Sit down." She scooted closer to her boyfriend to give him room. Bokuto was watching with a nervous stare. "This is my boyfriend, Ayagi." He reached over her to take his hand. Akaashi smiled at him, but it had a bitter lining. They knew they were competing- how could they not with these siblings? Everything was a competition, he could barely keep up. His number one problem was proving himself worthy as a boyfriend- even if it was fake. He would be the best fake boyfriend there ever was.

"Nice to meet you." Akaashi was keeping his smile on his face. His cheeks were hurting, but he was doing this for Bokuto. Stupid, stupid Bokuto. He looked at him across the room. He was sitting with his father on the opposite couch, his arms crossed over his chest. Akaashi sent him a look and he hoped he got the message of 'I have it under control.' 

"Likewise." His voice was low and cool; it riled something up in Akaashi. He wasn't aiming to be like him, he just wanted his family- mainly Mitsuki- to choose him over Ayagi. This would be a little harder than he originally planned.

As they talked, Bokuto hesitantly left the room per his mother's request to help her make dinner. Yuzuru excused herself and his father started wandering around the house, unable to sit still for too long. This left Akaashi with Mitsuki and Ayagi. 

"So, tell me everything." She leaned forward to look at him properly. He hoped she couldn't see how tense he was.

"Everything?" He questioned, his heart beating faster. One thing he and Bokuto left out of their plan was their story. How long they were dating, how it came about, and every other tiny detail that people think of about a relationship. How could Akaashi be so careless to forget such important things? He would have to be quick and thorough with his story, and be sure to tell it back to Bokuto exactly. The worst thing about lying was remembering.

"Well, how did you meet?" He decided to go with the shortest answer.

"School, of course." He nodded. This would be easy, because it's the truth. He tried not to wear his anxiety on his sleeve. "We also play volleyball together."

"Volleyball?" She was interested- far too interested for it to be normal. It was like she was looking for a lie; analyzing everything he said carefully and actively searching for a flaw. "Wait, I think I've seen you before. Are you the vice captain?"

"I am." His cheeks were burning now. Had they been to games and he just never seen them before now?

"So, it was sort of inevitable that you would end up together, huh?" Akaashi let out a laugh that was much too forced. He cursed himself.

"I suppose it was." 

"How long have you been forced to put up with him?" His eyes grew wide. Was she already onto them?

"What?" His face fell, but she rolled her eyes, which was directed more towards her brother. 

"Y'know," She leaned closer to him and her voice got softer. "He's kind of insufferable. He never had any luck with friends growing up, so it seems weird that he has a boyfriend now. How did he go from no friends at all to having a boyfriend? It seems strange."

"Well, we were friends first." He defended Bokuto. It couldn't be true that he never had friends. He was too extroverted to be alone. It had to be his sister trying to make him look bad, right? Bokuto was never a lonely person. "And... I just..." His hesitence was causing his heart to beat faster. "My feelings towards him grew. And even though I wasn't the first one to confess, I was so glad when he did." He wasn't sure how much more of his he could take, and this was only the first day. Bokuto owed him, so much. 

"I'm glad he has someone who cares about him now." She smiled sympathetically. She had a hard exterior, but she truly did care about Bokuto. "He needs it." Akaashi felt his chest swell. This couldn't be true. Bokuto never told him about his younger days. However, her voice was quiet and careful. It was strange for someone in his family to act so quiet and serious, especially when they had just met. 

Akaashi didn't say another word about it, instead, he excused himself and found his way to the kitchen. Bokuto was wearing an apron and working with his back turned to him next to his mother. He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching how he moved so effortlessly in the kitchen. She was talking loudly about his cooking, which was mostly praise. He laughed at her, and finally, his head turned to the side. He then caught Akaashi's gaze and smiled, but he couldn't mask the worry in his eyes. Akaashi walked over to them. 

"Need any help?" Akaashi asked his mother, who gasped excitedly. He loved how she got so happy at the smallest things.

"Akaashi! I have just the job for you." She dropped the knife that was peeling veggies and grabbed him an apron. He put the strap over his head to where it hung around his neck, then tried to tie it behind his back. Bokuto watched him struggle, then dropped what he was doing to walk over to him. He stood behind him and took the strings from his hands. Akaashi stood still. If he didn't know any better, he would think his heart fluttered. Of course, Bokuto was just good at putting up the act. He would be sure to tell him later.

"Too tight?" He asked, just before finishing the knot. Akaashi shook his head. After the knot was tied, Bokuto found his way back to his previous task.

"Thank you." Akaashi was astonished at how good Bokuto was at being a pretend boyfriend. He almost believed they were really dating himself. And it had only been a day.

-

At dinner, Akaashi took small bites. The rest of his family ate big plate-fulls, but Akaashi was a modest eater. Even Ayagi ate and talked loudly with the family, which didn't help Akaashi's fitting in. Now, he felt more like an outcast than before. 

"Akaashi, you're awful quiet!" His dad shouted, his mouth full of food. He quickly swallowed the bite he was chewing for much too long and smiled. 

"Sorry, I'm just focused on eating." He replied. He quickly made up an excuse. "I don't want to get choked." Bokuto looked over at him. He gave him a small nudge, causing him to look at him. He mouthed, 'okay?' and Akaashi nodded quickly. He was fine, just thinking too much about what could go wrong if he messed up in the slightest.

"Leave poor tiny alone." Ayagi chuckled. Akaashi raised an eyebrow. Bokuto furrowed his. 

"Tiny?" Bokuto asked, making sure he heard him right. There was a sharp edge on his voice. Ayagi was large, just like Bokuto. He was only a little smaller than Bokuto, but still looked to be strong. "Who's tiny?"

"I'm just playing." He dismissed him. He took another large bite. Bokuto looked as if he was fuming. 

"How about we decide who's tiny?" Bokuto put his hands on the table. "With an obstacle course." Akaashi didn't like where this was going at all.

"Really?!" His dad shouted in excitement. Akaashi _really_ didn't like this.

"Yes. We'll all do it!" Bokuto looked around the table. Everyone was tense now, their competitive nature shining through. They were all smirking at one another, but Akaashi's eyes were wide and his lips were parted slightly. He did not doubt his own athletic abilities, but he doubted how well he would be under such pressure. 

"An obstacle course? Like when we were kids?" Yuzuru asked, her smirk never faltering. This must not have been out of the ordinary for them, though, Akaashi didn't expect it to be. Bokuto and his dad both nodded at the same time. Were they the same person?

"Yeah, but for big kids." Bokuto said, matter-of-factly. Mitsuki slammed her hands on the table and stood up. 

"Alright!" She shouted, causing Akaashi to jump. She was grinning from ear to ear. "You're on. Ayagi, babe, you're gonna win for sure!" She cooed.

"In your dreams! Akaashi has years of volleyball experience and excellent stamina!" Bokuto stood up now, his hands flat on the table. Akaashi was dreading this more than anyone sitting at that table could understand.

"Oh yeah? Ayagi used to run track!" She retorted. 

"'Used to.'" He mocked. Akaashi looked down at his food, then started shoveling it into his mouth. He was hoping this food would give him the strength to survive this. "Tomorrow morning, dad will set up the course at the outdoor gym. Then, we will see who the real winner will be." Akaashi's mouth was full when Bokuto looked at him. His cheeks were puffed out and Bokuto laughed at him. "We'll win, Akaashi!" He was so sure of himself. He was more sure of Akaashi than anything, which only added to the pressure. Akaashi felt a dark cloud over him, dread seeping from him. He looked at Ayagi. He had the same look on his face as everyone else; determination. The stakes were high. The tension in the room was higher.

Akaashi swallowed his food, then took a deep breath. This wouldn't be an easy win for Ayagi. No, he wouldn't let him off that easy. Especially not after he was this committed. Now, after being surrounded by Bokuto's family and their competitiveness was dripping down the walls and seeping from every crack in every surface, he was feeling it, too. The excitement in the room was larger than the entire volleyball team on game day. There was something about losing that made Akaashi angry, and he could only blame it on Bokuto. Partly on volleyball, because losing was harsh for their team, but it was because of Bokuto.

There was one thing he knew for sure at this point, and he didn't know whether her was proud of it or not: he was going to win this with Bokuto by his side and prove himself as the best (pretend) boyfriend in the world.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Major Test Of Strength

Right at nine in the morning, Bokuto's family car was parked in his driveway. He was alerted by obnoxious honking and quickly grabbed his small gym bag. He was already in his activewear, which was just black shorts and a white t-shirt. When he opened the door, Bokuto was leaned over the front seat with his hand on the wheel, honking the horn. He grinned when he saw him standing there and honked the horn one last time. Akaashi closed his front door, then continued to the SUV.

"Good morning!" Bokuto opened the door for him from the inside. He was sitting in the middle row of the car next to an empty seat, his two sisters and Ayagi sat in the third row. Akaashi climed into the car and put his bag in the floor between his feet. 

"Good morning." He said, then put his seatbelt on. His parents were bouncing with excitement in the front two seats. 

"Ready?" His mother asked, then put the car in drive once she heard confirmation from everyone. 

Bokuto looked over at him, the only thing separating them was the middle console. Akaashi looked at him and smiled, more with his eyes than his mouth. He moved his hand over and tapped Akaashi's arm. He watched his hand move down and grab his hand, then laced their fingers together. Akaashi wanted to look back to see if they were watching, but he already knew they were. He caught a glimpse of his mother smiling at them in the rearview mirror.

The car ride was a little longer than he thought, and the chaos started once they actually began driving. The fight for the aux chord resulted in their mother taking it from them and putting on a podcast. The groans from the three siblings was astonishing. 

"Mom!" Bokuto threw his head back. "I don't want to listen to someone tell me how to organize my closet!" 

"You need it!" She glared at him from the mirror. "Is everyone going to stop fighting over the radio now?" 

"Yes!" They all shouted in unison. She handed it to the back, then Bokuto took it and hooked his phone up one-handed before anyone could complain. He could tell he was trying to play songs that Akaashi liked because he would look over for confirmation from him after choosing a song. Akaashi would hum, but never open his mouth to sing. Bokuto squeezed his hand and he wasn't sure if it was just a reflex or not.

In the back, Ayagi was singing the songs that Mitsuki played later to her, and it made Akaashi wonder if he should've thought of that when Bokuto had the radio. They were giggling and Mitsuki even kissed him once. He looked over to Bokuto, a panicked look on his face. He needed to step up his romance game, and fast. 

When the car stopped, Akaashi took his small bag with him into the building where they checked in with someone who seemed to be close friends with Bokuto's father. He was buff and very tall- and very bald. His head was shining in the fluorescent light. This place looked like a military base, but he could tell it was kid friendly.

Bokuto waved to the guy, and he seemed to know him. He shook his hand firmly, then looked at Akaashi with a crooked smile.

"Got some new faces!" He was just as loud as the rest of them. He could've been a family member for all Akaashi knew. "Who's this little one?"

"He's my boyfriend." Bokuto said proudly. Akaashi shook his hand and tried to keep a firm grip on him, but it was nearly impossible. "Akaashi, this is my dads childhood friend. We call him the Colonel." 

"Great ta meetcha." He grinned. He was missing a few teeth. "Now, what're we doing here today?" He asked, directed towards his father, however, Bokuto was the one to answer.

"We're doing the obstacle course. The hard one," He said. He's obviously spent a lot of time here. "To see which of our boyfriends are superior. And to get Ayagi to stop calling him 'tiny.'" He put his arm around Akaashi, who smiled up at the Colonel.

"Well, good luck to ya." He patted Akaashi's shoulder. He liked to think he was rooting for him, which gave him a little bit more confidence. He only shook Ayagi's hand, then continued talking to his parents. 

As they walked outside, Ayagi walked next to Akaashi. He nudged him with his elbow. "It's a little unfair that you're pretty athletic."

"I didn't choose the competition." He smarted back. 

"Well, it'll just make me look better when I win." Bokuto glared at him with narrow eyes. Akaashi kept his cool and smiled at him. 

"May the best boyfriend win." He started walking a bit faster and Bokuto laughed loudly next to him. He patted his back and Akaashi let out a small laugh at him.

"How feisty." Ayagi said to Mitsuki. She giggled. 

"I like him." 

The obstacle course was huge. He was convinced this was for the military; there were high bars and long ropes, along with high hurdles and vertical climbs. Akaashi looked at each obstacle carefully. With his current abilities, he was sure he could make it through, but maybe not as fast as Ayagi. He was bigger than him, however that didn't take much.

"Alright, everyone line up!" His father yelled, and everyone lined up in two separate lines. In the front, his parents stood side by side. Then, Mitsuki and Bokuto, and in the back was Akaashi and Ayagi. Yuzuru went to the finish line and stood with a timer to determine who the winners were. Everyone was stretching, even Akaashi, who's heart was already beating fast. 

"Babe, a good luck kiss!" Mitsuki called, then waited for her boyfriend to scoop her into his arms. He did, and they shared a chaste kiss. Akaashi looked at Bokuto, who was bent over stretching his legs. He jogged over to him, his heard beating fast, then tapped on his back. He stood up, and as soon as he did, Akaashi kissed his cheek quickly. It caught him off guard. His eyes were wide and his face heated up, but Akaashi turned away quickly. 

"Good luck." He said to him, then jogged back to his spot in line to finish stretching. His mother awed at them, then Yuzuru called. It took Bokuto a few moments to realized what happened, and when he did he was fired up. Akaashi smiled at him, and they shared a single look. He knew he wouldn't hear the end of it.

"Everyone ready?" Her voice projected from the end of the course. Everyone cheered and she raised her arm. "Alright, mom and dad," She held the timer in her other hand. "On your mark... Get set..." They looked at each other with narrowed eyes. "Go!" Everyone started cheering them on, even Akaashi. He only clapped, unsure which parent he wanted to cheer. Bokuto was jumping up and down as they maneuvered through the course. Akaashi watched them closely, making sure he had the entire thing mapped out in his mind. At the finish line, their mother won and jumped up in the air in excitement. Their father wasn't a sore loser; he high fived her, then gave her a giant hug.

"I'm a bit rusty!" He shouted. Yuzuru nodded, then cleared her throat

"Next up is Bokuto and Mitsuki!" Yuzuru called. "Ready?" They shouted back in their excitement. "Go!" 

Akaashi raised his hands to his mouth to project his voice, then took a deep breath. "Go Bokuto!" He grinned when he saw him move a little faster. He was still wearing his compression knee pads, even though he wasn't playing volleyball. It was one thing he admired about him; how he wore those stupid leggings during any kind of activity that involved wearing shorts. 

Bokuto won, and he sure wasn't letting Mitsuki live it down. He was shouting and jumping, then hugged his mom and dad. Akaashi shook his head at him. He raised his fist in the air and sent encouraging words to him.

"Good luck, Akaashi!" 

"Come on, Ayagi!" Mitsuki shouted, her feet planted firmly in the ground. "Don't be a weiner!" He scoffed, but still held a smile on his face. 

"Alright, are you ready?" Yuzuru called. "There's a lot on the line for this one, so do your best!" 

"See you at the finish line, tiny." Ayagi laughed at him. Akaashi kept his eyes on Bokuto. He was clapping and cheering for him, waiting for him at the finish line. 

"Don't hold back." Akaashi took a deep breath. Yuzuru raised her arm again. 

"Get set..." Ayagi dug his sneaker into the ground. "Go!" Akaashi felt his pulse quicken as he took off running. He was neck and neck with Ayagi at the beginning, but his movements were much swifter. He went under and over the hurdles quickly, then advanced to the bars. He quickly jumped up and grabbed it, then flipped over it. When his feet touched the ground, Ayagi was just climbing them. He ran until it was time for him to get on the ground, then he crawled quickly through the tunnel of tires. When he exited them, Ayagi was already standing up to climb the wall. Akaashi stood up and raced to the wall and grabbed the rope, then used his long legs to his advantage and hurled himself over. 

Bokuto was watching him with wide eyes. He wasn't cheering, he was too concentrated on how he was moving through the course. When the last obstacle came, he snapped out of it and called out his name. Not only was Bokuto calling his name, but the rest of his family, except Mitsuki was, too. 

"Akaashi!" His voice strained to yell so loud, but it gave Akaashi everything he needed. Once he was done with the balancing obstacle, he took off running. Ayagi was right on his heels, but Akaashi reached out and crossed the finish line first. He slammed into Bokuto, who was waiting for him. He wrapped his arms around him and lifted him off the ground. He spun them in a circle, and when he was sat back on the ground, he was still trying to catch his breath. "That's my boyfriend!" He shouted, then grabbed Akaashi's hand and raised it in the air. "Who's tiny now, Ayagi?!" He stuck his tongue out at him and Akaashi laughed loudly. 

"Good job, Ayagi." He called, then reached for his water bottle. Ayagi scoffed at him, then stuck his hand out. Akaashi shook it. more firmly than he realized. 

"Good job, tiny." He said, causing Akaashi to smile. It was nice having a nickname, even if it started because of his physical appearance. He almost thought it was endearing. Like a brotherly thing. Akaashi didn't have any siblings, so having someone to act like an older brother was new to him, but he enjoyed it. Even if Ayagi was a stranger, it made him feel welcomed. 

After they left the obstacle course, everyone was exhausted and hungry. It was after lunchtime, but they still went out to a restaurant to eat. Akaashi was quiet for the ride, and still silent after they were seated at their table. Bokuto and Mitsuki were arguing over who really won, and Yuzuru had to shut them up or they would have never eaten in peace. 

"Akaashi, good job on your win." His mother said. He smiled.

"Oh, thank you." He took a drink of his water. Bokuto smiled over at him. He was glowing. He was just waiting for him to say something, but it never came. "Congratulations on your win as well." He replied to her and she grinned. Under the table, Bokuto's knee was touching his. Neither of them moved away from the touch, but Akaashi focused on it through their entire meal. It was comforting to know Bokuto was right there with him, even if he felt safe with his family.

"Since it's Saturday, you should stay over." Bokuto spoke up, finally saying something. Akaashi looked over at him and waited until he was finished chewing to speak. 

"I don't know..." He didn't look away from Bokuto. "I don't usually stay at people's houses."

"C'mon, you're family now!" His mother over heard their conversation. "Don't feel pressured, but you're welcome to." 

"Thank you." Bokuto turned to him and pouted, giving him big puppy-dog eyes. Akaashi sighed. "Okay." He agreed. "I need to get my stuff, though." 

"Yay!" He exclaimed. Akaashi internally groaned. His first sleepover with Bokuto wouldn't be filled with mindless laughter or jokes cracking, but talk about how they could improve on being pretend boyfriends to make it more real. 

-

After they went to Akaashi's to get him an overnight bag, they arrived at their final destination, which was Bokuto's house. He was already used to the homey smell of it by now, instead of the clean, chemical smell his own home always had. He knew where almost everything was, and could even find the bathroom without having to be escorted by Bokuto.

Once they finally got away from the family and into Bokuto's room, Akaashi dropped his bag near the door. Bokuto shut the door behind them and let out a happy sigh. 

"Nice touch by the cheek kiss." He sat on his unmade bed. Akaashi sat in the floor. If he was going to be coming over every day for two weeks, he needed to help him clean his room. 

"I thought that since they kissed, that I should do something." He replied. Bokuto chuckled. Akaashi wanted to leave it in the past, but neither of them could shake the feeling. It lingered in the air. So many unspoken words were floating between them, especially from Bokuto. He would never tell him how his entire body was set on fire just by his lips touching his cheek for a single second. Nobody would know except for Bokuto that he wished he would do it again.

"Well, it worked." He crossed his legs under him. Akaashi hummed and dug through his bag for his phone charger. Bokuto watched him closely. He was doing a normal thing, but he couldn't hide the stars in his eyes. He turned away from him before he could notice. It was the small moments like this that made it harder for Bokuto. He was drifting towards inevitable heartbreak. Their two-week contract would end soon and he hated the bitterness of the thought.

Bokuto kept his feelings for Akaashi well hidden. Never in a million years would he slip up and say that he has liked him since they first started school and volleyball together. Akaashi thought that he was in the same boat; that he didn't want to date him, but wanted to fool his sister. Bokuto knew it was bad. He would even go as far as saying he loved Akaashi, but he would never force himself onto him. He obeyed the contract, even if it got them caught in the long run. He wasn't going to scare him away, but having him here like this was special to him. Even if they were just friends, he was still within arms reach. And, so far, things were okay. His family loved him almost as much as he did. He hated lying to his family, but he hated lying to Akaashi more.

Pretending not to love him was something he has done for a while now. The difference between then and now is that he has to pretend to be disgusted behind closed doors and in love outside. Akaashi knew he was gay, so it wasn't that he was disgusted by it being a boy, but because it was Akaashi. His best friend. Their inevitable fake breakup was pulling on his chest, making it heavy. Right now, though, their two weeks had just started. In the short time he had to hold his hand and stand closer to him than usual, he would cherish it. Even after their contract was up and he never got to touch him again, he would still have these small memories of their hands laced together.

These small moments would be the bane of his existence.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi's unexpected appearance change.

Every day after school, Akaashi would walk to Bokuto's with him and stay until after supper. Some nights they would get so caught up in talking that they never left the table, and others they would find themselves in front of the television with their family game system on. After spending the evening at his house, he would borrow the family SUV and take him home. Everything at his house was family oriented. Akaashi was envious of it. He only had his parents, who he didn't see as often as he would like. Now that he had Bokuto's family, he felt what it was like to have a big family that cared about each other. 

It was another Friday after school, and his weekend would be spent at none other than Bokuto's home. As they waited for the traffic to cease so they could cross the street, Bokuto had his hands stuffed in his pocket, while Akaashi's were gripping his bag. Bokuto looked over at him, then away. He stepped closer to him so they were shoulder to shoulder. Akaashi stepped away. Bokuto stepped closer to him again, this time a smile trying to hide itself. Akaashi stepped away again, this time not able to contain his laughter. They kept going until they were far from the crosswalk. The light turned green for them to cross and Akaashi gasped. 

"Go, go!" He said, then took Bokuto's hand. They took off running as the timer was running out. They barely made it across the street, and though they were out of breath, they were doubled over laughing. Bokuto then threw his arm around him and cackled. 

"So funny, 'kaashi." He let out his breath. "Come on." He then moved his arm and took his hand.

"That was so dangerous." He said, even though he was the one to drag them along. He looked over at him. Bokuto's smile acted as a distant sun, glowing all around them.

"It was _fun._ " He retorted. Akaashi rolled his eyes and instinctively moved closer to him.

-

After dinner, Akaashi and Bokuto did the dishes for his mother. He was staying another night at their house, per Bokuto's request, and who was he to say no? Akaashi's arms were covered with bubbles and the front of their shirts were soaked, but neither of them cared. Akaashi lathered his hand with bubbles, then stuck them to Bokuto's nose. A small bundle of suds covered the entire tip of his nose and he smirked. Without wiping them away, he took water and splashed him. Not enough to count for much, but Akaashi still gasped. He stuck his hand back into the water, lathering his hand with more bubbles than before, then put them all over Bokuto's face. 

"Akaashi! Gross!" He threw more water at him, then Akaashi covered him with more bubbles. Soon enough, they were both soaked. Akaashi was laughing so hard that he was holding onto his stomach. Bokuto smiled, his eyes never leaving Akaashi's bright red face. He wanted to laugh with him, but couldn't stop staring at him. He didn't care if it blew his cover; he wanted to revel in this moment as long as he could. 

Akaashi's eyes finally opened from being squeezed shut, and he looked at him. Bokuto grinned, and so badly wanted to hold him in his arms. Soaking wet or not, he was right here. However, before he could act on his treacherous thoughts, Akaashi turned away and grabbed a dish towel. He threw it at Bokuto, then grabbed another for himself. He cleaned up their mess and took the towels to the laundry. The dishes were done, and they excused themselves to change. Akaashi took his clothes to the bathroom and changed, then returned to Bokuto's room. 

They were both in their pajamas, which was just sweats and t-shirts. Akaashi pulled out a contacts case, which captured Bokuto's attention. He then pulled out a glasses case. Bokuto sat in front of him as he opened the case.

"Contacts..." His mouth was agape. He was astonished at the small clear disk he was putting into the white case. "You wear contacts?"

"Yes." 

"How did I not know this?" 

"You've never looked close enough." 

"I look at your eyes all the time!" Akaashi reached up and took the other contact out. Bokuto was disgusted by this act. His eyes went from awe to disgust in a matter of seconds.

"Then you weren't looking for the right things." Bokuto was silenced by his words. He wasn't looking for the wrong things; really, he didn't know if he was looking for anything at all. He was looking because he was always amazed by them. Every time he looked into his eyes, he found a new speck that wasn't there before.

Akaashi put on his glasses and Bokuto really couldn't take his eyes off of him. Even if he wanted to, or tried, he couldn't force them away. This small thing, his small change in appearance took his breath away. The way they sat perfectly on the bridge of his nose and fit his face perfectly added more sparkles to his already shining eyes. In the reflection of the glasses, Bokuto could see his mouth-agape, wide eyed expression. He looked pathetic and lovesick. This would be the end of it for sure.

"They look really good on you." He spit out before he could stop himself. Akaashi turned his head towards the floor.

"Thank you." He replied. Bokuto could swear he was blushing. "I don't like wearing them, but the contacts irritate my eyes if I wear them for too long." He was playing with his fingers in his lap.

"Why don't you like wearing them?" Bokuto questioned further, watching his eyes shift from the floor, to closed. 

"I just don't like how they look." He stood up and put his contact case on his dresser, which he cleaned earlier that week. He needed a place for important things to not get lost in his disastrous room. "The contacts are a hassle, but I would rather do that every day than wear these." Bokuto stood up now, wanting to look at him more. He was treating him like a priceless painting. 

"I don't think you should be self-conscious of them." He was already standing too close to him, and when he turned back to him, they were only a few inches apart. "You..." He reached up and touched the frames, feeling the cold metal on the tips of his fingers. Akaashi was wide eyed, but making no move to get away from him. He was frozen, but not in a bad way. Bokuto's fingers were barely grazing his cheek and he almost leaned into his touch. Their eyes finally met, and Akaashi couldn't even blink.

Bokuto's eyes were hooded. There were no spoken words as he started leaning in. Akaashi almost started closing his eyes, but he caught himself. He realized what was happening, then cleared his throat. He stepped away from him, his back immediately turning to him as he dug in his bag for an excuse. His entire body was hot and Bokuto had jumped away, already across the room trying to hide his bright red upper body.

"Sorry, I need to..." He finally dug out his toothbrush. "Brush my teeth." He didn't look at Bokuto as he rushed out of the room and to the bathroom. 

Bokuto cursed under his breath. He was surely going to know now, if he didn't already. He was scaring him away. He couldn't think of how to fix this, and he couldn't ask anyone without giving out his secret. Both secrets. The pretend relationship and his feelings. This was bad. No, this was worse than bad. He almost kissed Akaashi.

He quickly grabbed his laptop and picked a movie so it was playing when he returned. He acted as normal as possible until he heard the jiggle of the doorknob. He jumped and his throat dried instantly. Akaashi's head was lowered as he returned his toothbrush to its rightful place in his bag. 

"So, I thought we could watch a movie." He croaked out, his voice now raspy. Akaashi just nodded as he turned back to him. Bokuto moved so he could sit next to him, but he sat in the floor instead. He propped the laptop on a pillow so they could both see. _Don't act scared of me, please. It won't happen again._

He couldn't stand the thought of losing Akaashi. Now, he couldn't care less about the pretend relationship, he just wanted to know what he was thinking. His dead stare didn't help him figure out what was going on in his mind. 

-

Akaashi felt like he couldn't breathe. There was a weight on his chest as he lie awake in Bokuto's floor. He kept playing the scene over and over again in his mind. He kept feeling the tips of his fingers grazing his cheek once again, and his breath on his lips. He almost kissed Bokuto. Or, well, Bokuto almost kissed him. If they had kissed, would it have been mutual?

He stood up as quietly as he possibly could. Bokuto was sleeping with his back to him and he took a few seconds to watch his shoulders move with every slow breath. He was right there; his body was limp and the smallest snores were escaping his parted lips. Akaashi had to force his eyes away from him or else he would watch him all night, and that would be creepy. 

He padded through the dark house to the kitchen, and quietly got a glass and filled it with water. He chugged the entire thing. He filled it up again and took a few more drinks, then leaned his back on the counter with the glass still in hand. He was questioning everything. He kissed him on the cheek before, so a kiss wouldn't be much different, right? It was a normal thing for people to do. Kissing was normal. _Or it was supposed to be._ Maybe not as normal if one of them were a girl. 

Akaashi had never questioned his sexuality until now. He couldn't tell if these were real feelings or if it was because Bokuto was acting like his boyfriend, but either way there was no way this was okay. Falling for his best friend had to be the first rule in the friendship rulebook, right? 

"Can't sleep?" He was startled from his thinking and almost spilled his water. He was met in the dark with none other that Mitsuki. She drug her feet to the sink and filled a glass with water.

"Not really." He replied, drinking more water. This was the last thing he needed right now. They were silent as they kept drinking water. He wondered if she was avoiding talking to him, too, but she finally spoke up after letting out a loud sigh. 

"I know I've only known you for a week, but you and my brother are really good together." _No._

"I'm glad you think so." He didn't worry about faking a smile in the dark.

"I don't think I've ever seen him this happy." _Please, no._

"Really?" He took another drink.

"Really. He really likes you." _Stop._ "He talks about you all the time. As soon as you leave, you're all he talks about." 

"I can see that." He let out a fake chuckle. _Stop saying these things._

"Since you're here, I need to tell you something about him that you probably know already," He nodded. His eyes were more adjusted to the dark now and he could see her sleepy face more clearly. "He has some pretty bad anxiety. Especially with people. I'm surprised he has opened up to you so much, it makes me really happy." She let out another sigh. "And, he seems really attached to you, so... I'm asking for his sake..." She paused. She was squeezing the glass a little tighter now. _Please. No._ "Watch out for him. For as long as you're able." He swallowed hard. 

"I will." _No, no, no._ She put her glass in the sink and turned to him. 

"I know." She smiled at him. "Try to get some sleep." She gave his shoulder a kind pat, then she was off. He put his glass in his sink, then squeezed his eyes closed. 

He felt a dark hole in the pit of his stomach. He was getting carried away with his lies, and hoped his promise to Mitsuki wouldn't be totally empty. He planned on being Bokuto's friend for as long as the universe would allow it, and by doing that, he would always be looking out for him. He couldn't shake the lingering feeling of Bokuto being close to him. No matter what happens, Bokuto would always linger with him. He would be a shadow that followed him through everyday. Even if he didn't want him there, he would be. He didn't know what to call this feeling, or if it even had a name, but he wasn't fond of it. Not now, not yet. It wasn't supposed to be here. Not with Bokuto.

_Why did you do this to me, Bokuto?_


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dreaded double date.

A double date. He wasn't sure why he agreed to go on a double date with them, except for the fact that if he declined, Bokuto would probably cry. Not probably. _Definitely._

As Mitsuki drove, Akaashi couldn't get his leg to stop bouncing. Bokuto would glance over at him, look at his leg, then look away. He was holding his hand, just like they always had when they were with his family, but it was looser than usual. 

It was awkward between them since the almost kiss. Not so much from Bokuto, no, he was good at pretending things never happened. He could tell he was being more distant for Akaashi's sake now, and he wasn't sure if that was really helping. He appreciated the space, but for the wrong reasons. They were supposed to look close, especially in front of his sister, but it was much harder now that they had almost kissed.

Akaashi couldn't stop thinking about it. About why Bokuto would want to actually kiss him in the first place, especially with no one around to witness it. They were alone. Together, but alone. It didn't make any sense that he would kiss him in a situation like that. 

"We're here!" Mitsuki's excitement was seeping through the confinement of her small red car. They let go of each others hand to exit the car, but soon reconnected as they walked into the building. It was illuminated outside with neon signs; blue and purple danced across their skin as they travelled.

The bowling alley was packed. It was a Saturday night, the day just after their almost kiss. Akaashi found himself breathing deeply to calm himself down. Bokuto noticed, but didn't say anything. He just kept loosely holding his hand. 

The four of them put on their bowling shoes, which Akaashi found pretty gross, but didn't say anything about it. Bokuto was having trouble tying his shoes, so Akaashi walked over to him. 

"C'mere." He said, patting his thigh for him to rest his shoe on. 

"I'll get your pants all dirty." He hesitated. Akaashi just looked at him, then crouched down on the ground. Bokuto kept his foot on the ground and Akaashi tied them easily. Bokuto was smiling at him when he stood back up.

"I'm going to get snacks. Come with me?" Mitsuki asked, grabbing Ayagi's arm. He happily followed. 

"Hey," Bokuto got his attention. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." He replied. They were looking at the bowling balls, and Akaashi decided on a purple colored one. Bokuto wasn't even looking at the shelves of the heavy ceramic, but instead at Akaashi.

"If I need to, I can keep from touching you so much. I mean, it'll make 'tsuki suspicious of us, but-"

"I said I'm okay." He tried not to be snappy. "Let's try not to focus on it so much." He walked past him and to their lane, where Mitsuki and Ayagi were sitting with snacks and drinks. Akaashi sat down across from them after putting his ball in the machine next to the others. 

"So," Mitsuki said, after Bokuto returned. "Ready to lose, Bo?"

"Lose?" He scoffed. "That word isn't in my vocabulary."

"You just used it." Ayagi laughed. Bokuto narrowed his eyes at him, then crossed his arms over his chest.

"It was metaphorical." 

Akaashi looked over at him. "No matter who wins, let's have fun."

"You're not going to survive in this family for too long with that mindset." Mitsuki giggled. He took a drink of the soda that was sitting in front of him. He wasn't going to be around this family for much longer, anyways. He only had one more week with them. Next Sunday, Mitsuki and Ayagi would be leaving, and their two week pretend relationship would come to an end. He tried not to think about it much now, but it was swallowing him whole. Bokuto noticed and frowned at him, still not bringing it to attention. Akaashi mustered a smile. "You guys don't seem like the touchy kind of couple." She said, out of the blue. Her arms were draped over Ayagi's shoulders and their legs were touching under the table. Bokuto and Akaashi were sitting about a foot apart in their booth.

"We aren't." Bokuto replied. Akaashi swallowed, unable to clear his throat completely. What was happening to him?

"That's surprising." She was looking between them. "I figured-"

"Who's ready to play?" Akaashi stood up abruptly. The table shook from the sudden contact of his legs with the edge of it. Bokuto looked up at him, his worry sinking deeper. He knew there was something wrong with him, and he couldn't help but put the blame on himself.

"Akaashi..." Bokuto said his name slowly, but he was already walking to pick up his ball. 

"Did I say something wrong?" Mitsuki asked, after he was out of earshot. 

"No..." Bokuto looked at him. "He's just got a lot of school to catch up on. It's stressing him out." He came up with an excuse for him easily. She nodded slowly. 

"Maybe you should talk to him." 

"I will." He sighed quietly. "Later. For now, let's just play." He stood up. He knew Akaashi didn't want to talk in front of the two.

Akaashi was first, and they cheered for him. He tried to pull himself out of the mood he was in, with little success. He definitely wasn't winning this, but at least it gave Bokuto the opportunity to. 

After they played through, and was almost to the last two rounds, Akaashi could feel his pulse everywhere. He was much too aware of his heart beating, so he stood up from his seat just as Bokuto was stepping up with his bowling ball in his hands.

"Bokuto," He walked to him. Bokuto turned to him, forgetting the game for just a second. "Can you play for me next round? I'm going to the bathroom." His voice was soft; he masked his shaky voice as well as he could. 

"I'll get you a strike!" He was excited. Akaashi waved to Mitsuki and Ayagi, then disappeared to the bathroom. Luckily, it was a one person bathroom and he could lock the door without being bothered.

He splashed cold water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He wasn't sure who the blushing mess he was staring at was. It definitely wasn't himself. 

He knew he didn't like boys. He never had a crush on a boy or looked at them the same way he looked at girls, so why was he thinking these things about Bokuto? Maybe if he kissed him once, then he would know for sure that he was just spending too much time with him and he didn't actually like him. That was a thing, right? Spending too much time with someone could trick a brain into thinking it was a crush, causing them to want to kiss the other person. That had to be what was happening with Akaashi. His brain could've been broken.

 _Bokuto is different._ He shook his head. He hated thinking such cliché things, especially about him. It was ridiculous. 

He took a hefty amount of deep breaths, calming himself down, before heading back out. Bokuto was drinking his soda with his eyes on Mitsuki, who was now getting ready to send her ball down lane 14. He looked at the score board, and Bokuto was right, he scored him a strike.

"Akaashi!" He shouted upon seeing him. Shaking all thoughts away, Akaashi smiled. Bokuto patted the seat next to him, acting as normal as he did before. Akaashi sat next to him. "I got a strike for you, but it won't be enough to beat me." 

"I see that." Akaashi sat closer to him than before. "You deserve to win this one. You've gave the game your all." 

"Are you feeling better?" Bokuto asked, his smile never faltering. Akaashi nodded.

"A little." He replied. He wasn't fully lying. He had pushed the thoughts deep down, vowing to never think of them again. Which, didn't last very long, because in a matter of seconds, Bokuto's lips were staring back at him and his eyes were looking right into his soul. He forced his gaze to the opposite direction, watching Mitsuki. After her, the game was over. Her and Bokuto were neck and neck, but Bokuto was the rightful winner. 

As everyone expected, he didn't let her live it down. She was annoyed, telling him to constantly shut up, but he just kept talking. 

"Let's just face the facts, sis," He was beaming. "I am the superior sibling." 

"As if." She deadpanned. "I'm driving this car, and could easily end your career."

"Funny. I don't even _have_ a career." 

"You're lucky Akaashi is in this car." 

"What does that mean?" His voice got louder. She was laughing.

"Nothing, my dear, sweet brother." She parallel parked her car on the side of a busy shopping strip. "We're going to go look around, so you guys just do whatever. Meet back here at like... I'll text you." They all got out of the car, Bokuto watched them as they started walking into a shop. 

"So..." Bokuto looked at him. Akaashi felt the pressure now. "Is there anywhere you want to go?"

"Not in particular." He rocked back on his heels. They should talk. Sure, it was in public, but he needed to get this off his chest. Luckily, Bokuto spoke first.

"This past week has gone by pretty fast." He started walking, then Akaashi followed right next to him. "I'm a little sad that it's almost over."

"Why?" He didn't know what answer he was hoping for.

"I dunno." He paused. Akaashi watched the ground as they walked. "I guess we never spend this much time together outside of school and practice, and I'm gonna miss it." He let out a sad sigh. "My family is gonna miss you, too."

"You think so?" Akaashi smiled at that. 

"I know it!" He looked at him for just a second. "Mom really likes you. She'll be sad when we have to break up." _Let's not break up._

"I'll miss them." Akaashi was still smiling. Bokuto let out a laugh. 

"Maybe if I tell them we're still friends, you can still come over." He nudged his elbow. "I don't plan on not ever being your friend, y'know."

"I don't either." Akaashi felt his heartbeat speed up. If he kept talking, he knew it wouldn't be good for him. The next words that came out of his mouth came before he could stop them. "Bokuto, why did you almost kiss me last night?" Bokuto froze. He quickly cleared his throat, then kept walking. 

"So you've been thinking about it, too?" He let out a noise that was supposed to be a laugh, but it was shaky and came out more like a breath. 

"Only because I want to know why." He replied. Bokuto swallowed. His hands stuffed into his pockets and he took a deep breath. 

"I'm not really sure why I did it." He admitted. However, that wasn't the case at all. He didn't want to tell him that he thought he was the most beautiful person in the universe.

"Oh?" Akaashi couldn't control his breathing. 

"I think it was because you were just there." Bokuto shrugged. "I haven't kissed anyone in a while, and you were just... Standing right in front of me." Akaashi felt a pain in his heart. Like Bokuto stabbed a knife through his chest. It took his breath away. Of course it wasn't because he had feelings for him. Obviously. What was he thinking? There was no way Bokuto actually liked him. However, now he couldn't stop thinking such things. 

"That makes sense." He replied. _It doesn't._

"We can forget it ever happened." He said. "I'm sorry if that's what's been causing you to feel down."

"It's okay." He lied. "I'll just be glad when this two weeks is over and we can go back to normal." 

"Me too." 

Akaashi couldn't help but feel hurt. He was aching, but in a way that he never had before. He didn't know what he had been hoping for him to say, but it definitely wasn't what he got. Just because he was there. 

They were friends, so why would he do anything to jeopardize the only friendship Akaashi had that was worth something to him?

-

After Akaashi was dropped off at his house, Bokouto was silent on the way home. Mitsuki picked up on this, and turned the radio down. 

"Is something wrong?" Her voice was more sincere than Bokuto liked. 

"No." He replied. His short reply caused her to raise an eyebrow.

"Liar." 

"I'm not lying." He wasn't looking at her, but out the window.

"Yes you are." She said. "Is it Akaashi?"

"No." He sucked in a breath through his nose. "Maybe." 

"Are you fighting?"

"No."

"Then tell me. I can't keep guessing." 

"I don't really want to talk about it." He sighed, then rested his chin in his hand. She kept quiet for the rest of the drive. 

He couldn't believe he said that to him. _Just because he was there. Who says that to the person they..._ He shook the thought out of his head. He didn't know what he felt about Akaashi. He wanted to call it love, but it hurt too much to call it that. He was sad that their pretend relationship was halfway over. They only had to convince them for another week, then they could forget it ever happened. His mother would be disappointed. His sister would be sad for him. His father would probably try to keep his mind off of it while wondering what happened. 

Their fake break up was making him sadder than it should've. He wasn't sure why he thought fake dating the person he had a real crush on would be a good idea. He wasn't planning on it being Akaashi; he was really thinking about asking Kuroo. Or even Hinata from Karasuno, who was nice enough to not say no. Akaashi, however, was _just there._ Like he always was. Right there and always Bokuto's first choice. 

He didn't want to fake break up with him. He wished Mitsuki would stay home forever so he wouldn't have to let go of him. He wanted to keep them all close to him, but them leaving was leaving him feeling more empty than he liked. It was an emptiness that hung over his head and weighed down his shoulders.

It was an emptiness that stung.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi comes to terms with the end.

_"Because you were just there."_

Akaashi felt that Bokuto was telling the truth. However, it still didn't help him forget. It made sense that it was that way. No feelings had to be shared to kiss, he knew that. It was still hard to accept.

He and Bokuto would be friends after this. He had faith in their friendship, despite all odds. Once they stopped spending every day together and eating dinner with his family every night, things would be back to normal. His feelings were only there because they were together all the time. That's it.

He waited near the gym after school, where he always had. Bokuto was running late, but that didn't stop him from waiting. He knew he would wait as long as he needed to. Forever, if the universe allowed it. 

Bokuto came running up to him. Akaashi braced himself just before he crashed into him, the two of them falling to the ground. Bokuto, who was not thinking anything of it, was on top of him. He rose up, his hands on both sides of his head. Akaashi was squinting from the sun that was right behind Bokuto's head and making a halo around it. Then his eyes widened. His eyebrows rose, then his mouth opened. Bokuto looked just like an angel.

"Sorry I'm late!" He shouted, even though they were, quite literally, on top of each other. "I failed my math test, so I had to stay and talk to my teacher. Don't tell my mom." He laughed. Akaashi just stared up at him.

"It's okay." He mustered. Bokuto then moved to get off of him. Once he stood up, he reached his hand down to Akaashi with the biggest grin on his face. He lifted him off the ground with ease. They dusted themselves off, then Bokuto threw his arm around his shoulder. This was the most normal he had felt in a while. 

"So, I was thinking," Akaashi had his full attention on him. "About how the break up should go." He hated that he spoke about it so nonchalantly. Akaashi physically retreated. His shoulders slumped and his head lowered, but not enough for Bokuto to speak of. "We have to do it in front of my family, so..."

"Do we have to?" Bokuto snapped his head towards him. His eyes were wide and hopeful, which threw Akaashi off. He then raised his hands slightly. "I mean, do we have to do it in front of your family?" Bokuto then looked forward.

"It would make sense. We could make up a fight and come in arguing, and then... I dunno." He took a breath and tilted his head to the side. "I could start it. All like, 'Akaashi, this isn't working out.' Or something." Akaashi was kicking rocks as they walked. He wasn't sure if Bokuto was clueless or not.

"Or something." Akaashi shrugged his shoulders. "Your mom will be sad."

"I know." He said. "She'll be fine, though." 

"I know." 

"Our fight could be over..." Bokuto shook his head. "I don't want to fight. You're still my friend and I want to leave as simply as possible so you can still come over." 

"Yeah." He wanted to tell him. He wanted to badly to tell him everything that was on his mind. _I think I like you._

"We can say it's interfering with volleyball." He nodded. "That's believable." 

"Won't it be weird that we're doing it the day Mitsuki is leaving?" 

"Well, we can do it sooner." _That's not what I meant._

"No, I mean..." He caught himself. _Today, to get it over with._ "When?"

"Well, let's see..." He put his finger to his chin. "Today is Wednesday, so... Friday?" 

"Friday." He repeated. 

"You just have to be my fake boyfriend until Friday. I know its been... Annoying."

"It hasn't been bad. You obeyed the contract, so I'm not complaining much." He took a deep, anticipated breath. "What about having the better boyfriend? Isn't that the point of all of this?" He wanted to stay like this for as long as he could. Even if he could extend it for a few more days. "If we do it before she leaves, then she will, y'know..."

"Rub it in my face? Yeah, I know." He sighed. "She's gonna do that anyways."

"Yeah." 

"Yeah." He elbowed him. "I won't make you deal with me for too much longer." _I would deal with you forever._ "I don't know why I even thought of the fake boyfriend thing anyways. She would torment me either way, really." 

"Took you long enough to realize." Bokuto pouted, then threw his arms around him in a side hug. Akaashi giggled.

"Rude." He laughed with him. 

How was he supposed to let him go when he did such soft things?

-

Akaashi cherished the next few days he had with his family. They didn't suspect anything suspicious between them, but instead acted as if things were fine. Akaashi tried to act fine. He tried to pretend he wasn't dreading their inevitable end, but it was hard sometimes. Especially when Bokuto would sit closer to him at dinner. He would even go as far as grabbing his chair and pulling it closer to his. Akaashi didn't even care that he was elbowing him through the entire meal. He even put more food on his plate than usual to stay this close to him for a little longer. He was used to being semi-romantic with him.

He didn't expect to become attached to Bokuto like this. Going into this whole lie, he was dreading dealing with him for this long and in a romantic way, but now... Now he wanted it to last forever. Two weeks would never be enough for him. The memories would hurt, but he would live off of them for the rest of his life. He would always remember the time he was almost his.

His mom started noticing a change the day before their planned break up. Akaashi was becoming more clingy to him, even holding onto his arm when they watched movies. Bokuto didn't seem to mind; he actually seemed fond of it, if Akaashi didn't know any better. 

"You're starting to come out of your shell here recently," She said, after he offered to help with the dishes. He was standing closer to Bokuto as he washed them, his arms constantly bumping into his. "I'm glad you're getting more comfortable around us." She was smiling at him, but he couldn't look at her. Guilt was clogging up his throat.

"You've made me feel welcome." He replied. "I have you to thank." She put a hand on his back. He swallowed hard. He could see Bokuto glancing to him from the corner of his eye. 

"You'll always be welcome here, Akaashi." She side-hugged him, then left. He let out a breath he wasn't aware that he was holding. Bokuto looked at him fully. 

"She's gonna hate me." He let out a heavy sigh. Akaashi pressed his lips into a small line. He finished the dishes silently, but still close to him.

-

Doomsday was upon them. It was Friday, the day he was expecting to break up with Bokuto. It was his last chance to tell him the truth, that they should just stay together. If he would have him. He was already sure he wouldn't. He was just there, he was just his best friend. He was disposable at this point, just something to help him lie. Someone to make himself look better. 

"Well, today's the day." He was walking with him, but they weren't touching. Akaashi couldn't touch him. If he did, he would spill his guts.

"It is." He replied. Each step closer to his home made his heart ache a little more.

"Thank you for doing this for me." He said, looking over at him. "I didn't expect my family to love you so much. I think you really were the better boyfriend."

"You think so?" He smiled at that, and let out a happy breath through his nose. 

"I know so. They all think it." He laughed, but only for a second. "I think it, too." Akaashi's heart was beating out of his chest as his house came into view. "Thank you for everything, Akaashi." He said, then opened his front door. Akaashi didn't even take off his shoes as he stepped in. He was hoping this would go quickly. Hoping he would just rip it off like a band-aid. However, his mother met them at the door.

"Hey, guys," She was grinning. "So, since it's Friday, I was thinking we go out to eat!" She seemed excited to not be cooking. Bokuto's face fell. Akaashi cleared his throat.

"Yeah, sure." Bokuto said before he could stop himself. Akaashi just nodded to her, then she disappeared. 

"Uh, Bokuto..." He grabbed his shirt sleeve. His heart was beating so fast, but he couldn't let this be the end. "Can we talk real quick? Alone?" 

"Actually, I've been wanting to talk to you, too." Akaashi shook his head. He wanted to tell him. He wanted to tell him everything. Did he think they were doing this now?

"No, I mean seriously." He lowered his voice to a whisper. He was shaking. 

"I'm serious, too." Akaashi shook his head. He mouthed, 'good acting' to him. He kept shaking his head.

"Bokuto-"

"I think we should break up." His words rolled off his tongue quickly, but hit Akaashi like a train. That's not what he wanted. This wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to tell him how he felt, not this. Never this. "I've been missing more and more spikes during practice, and when we actually start the season, I don't want us being together to make us lose." Akaashi couldn't hide the tears that were pricking his eyes. _If he would've waited just a little longer. If he would've listened._

"Oh." He blinked away the tears. "That's..." The lump in his throat grew two more sizes. He put his hand over his mouth. _Why was he really crying?_

"I'll see you at school." He said, his eyebrows furrowed. He looked like he could cry, too. He had a worried expression on his face, but Akaashi just nodded, then turned his back to him. He bit the inside of his cheek so hard he was sure it would bleed. He was silent as he opened the door. He looked back and seen his mother with wide, worried eyes. He turned away quickly before they could see the tears rolling down his face. 

"What was that?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Bokuto was staring at the door. 

"We broke up." His mother crossed her arms over her chest. 

"He didn't look like he wanted to break up." She shook her head. "What happened?"

"I don't know." He still didn't move. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Was it the right thing?

Weeks had passed. Akaashi still spent time with him during practice, but couldn't bring himself to go back to his house. He invited him, several times, but he declined. He didn't want to see the sympathetic stares from his family or the guilt he would be hiding from lying to them. He was sure Bokuto told them now. He can't keep a secret to save his life; this secret only made Akaashi look bad. He wasn't gay, but he would do it all over again for him. He didn't like _boys_ , but he liked him. He would always like him, which is something he feared. He couldn't get rid of him if he tried. 

"Akaashi!" Bokuto called, chasing after him. Practice was over, and Akaashi started walking with him less and less. It still hurt. "Wait up!" He called again, this time he stopped and turned to him. Akaashi watched him until he stopped right in front of him. 

"What?" He asked, his arms never leaving the straps of his backpack. He was carrying something; a small envelope was held tightly in his hand. 

"I just wanted to give you this." He was smiling, but he looked nervous. "Read it when you're alone, 'kay?" Akaashi held it in his hand. It was kind of moist from his sweating palms, but he still held it. On the front of it, it read, _for akaashi._

"Okay..." He looked back up at him, but he was already jogging in the other direction. Always moving. He watched him until he disappeared around the corner. He looked at the envelop in his hands. He didn't waste any time opening it. It was very neatly folded, which was unexpected from him. He saw his scratchy handwriting, but it was neater than usual. It was written in blue ink on normal notebook paper, but he definitely took his time on it.

_Akaashi,_

_You are my best friend in the world. I can't thank you enough for what you did for me. When you read this, I will have already told my family about the whole thing. It was a short time, but in that time that we spent together, I felt like I was flying. I tried to write this letter a million times, but nothing ever sounded right._

_I know this will ruin our friendship for good, but I wouldn't live with myself if I never told you. And seeing you cry when we fake broke up hurt a lot more than it should've. I thought you were just a good actor, but I know you. You wouldn't waste tears. You've never cried in front of me, and since then, I have wanted nothing more than to go back in time and keep from making you cry. I'm sorry._

_You are so important to me. Being your best friend is a privilege that I never would have thought would make me this happy. We almost kissed before, and I told you it was because you were just there, but it was so much more than that. I wanted to kiss you. I have since you first walked into that gym with stars in your eyes during your first year. I still do, but I never wanted to scare you away. You weren't just there to me._

_If this does scare you away, you can pretend you never read it. Shred it up or catch it on fire, I don't care. Just know that I'm always going to think you are my world, even if you're never mine._

_I love you._

_Bokuto_

Akaashi read the letter two more times. He made sure what he was reading was real, and it was. Tears fell onto the paper, smearing some of the ink. He took off running. His feet pounded onto the pavement and his tears dried to his face, but he didn't care. He didn't care if he got strange looks from the people he passed, he only had one thing on his mind; Bokuto.

He ran until his lungs were burning and his chest was tight. He was standing on the sidewalk outside of Bokuto's house trying to catch his breath. The note was wrinkled in his grasp. He finally walked up to the door and knocked gently. He wasn't sure if anyone heard him, but he waited. His mother opened the door.

"Akaashi, what's wrong?" She could see the tears dried to his red cheeks. He blinked away new tears that were threatening to run. 

"Is he here?" He asked, and she already knew who he was looking for. 

"Yeah, sweetie, come in." She moved to let him in, then closed the door behind him. "I'll go get him." She walked up the stairs and he waited. He was bouncing up and down slightly, not having a clue what he would say. He didn't have a plan for this, nor did he even need one. 

"He's here?" He heard his loud voice, then shuffling. He bounded out of his room, then stopped halfway down the stairs. He saw the note in his hands and his tears, expecting it to go horribly. "I'm so sorry." He said, before he got any closer. His worried expression was plastered on his face. "I didn't-" Akaashi walked up the few stairs and met him. It made him significantly shorter, but he didn't care. 

The letter was still in his hand, wrinkled and tear stained. Bokuto's written words were burned into his memory. He looked at him, his eyes searching for what he wished to confirm. Bokuto wanted to reach for him, but couldn't. He couldn't risk Akaashi running away.

He reached forward with his free hand and grabbed Bokuto's. He didn't take his eyes off of him. He reached forward with the hand that held his precious letter and rested it on his cheek. "Did you mean it?"

"Every word." He spoke, his eyes wide. Akaashi dropped the letter beside him so he could properly hold his face. It fell down the stairs, but once it was gone, Akaashi focused on the writer in front of him. Bokuto leaned his face into his palm and reached up with his free hand and held his wrist gently.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Akaashi leaned forward. The feel of his lips on his own took his breath away. His lips were so soft and tasted like cotton candy chapstick. Bokuto's arms wrapped around his waist, closing as much space between them as the stairs would allow. The salt from his tears mixed with their kiss, causing them to pull away. Akaashi's eyes were still closed as he started laughing. Bokuto grinned and hugged him close, laughing with him. _This is real._

"I love you, too." His voice was muffled into his chest. He had waited so long to say these word aloud. He was hesitant before, but he knew now for sure. He knew for sure these were his feelings, and he felt them burning inside him. He chose Bokuto. He would always choose him, no matter what odds were thrown at them. Their friendship wasn't ruined; it was blossomed into something more beautiful. Something that made them both happy. 

This wasn't pretend. This didn't require a contract, it just required the two of them surrounding themselves with love. It was happiness. It was love.

_It was them._

**Author's Note:**

> fin.
> 
> this was pretty rushed, but i will have longer stories in the future. i hope you enjoyed this, and in the future i hope to have more of these two, plus a lot of others :) tysm for reading!!
> 
> in the works:  
> more BokuAka  
> AtsuHina  
> KuroKen  
> Victuuri


End file.
